


First Impressions Often Lie

by BowtiesAreCool4



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff, Human Castiel, Human Gabriel, M/M, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-04
Updated: 2013-10-28
Packaged: 2017-12-25 13:49:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 19,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/953831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BowtiesAreCool4/pseuds/BowtiesAreCool4
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Castiel Novak is a shy, anxiety-prone, high achiever at Z.Z. Riverhead High school. He is willing to believe he is entitled to look after his family (his older sister Anna, younger brother Gabriel) and best friend Meg while his Father is away. One day, Anna informs him of two of new students arriving at the high school; brothers from a couple of towns over. But when Dean and Sam Winchester do finally attend, they bring a lot more than just a disturbance of the Supernatural kind with them...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Inhabitants of Z.Z. Riverhead High School

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mogar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mogar/gifts).



> Dawn Terrace (Ms Terrace) is a character of my own creation who will be making many reappearances in future fics. I have created an entire series with her as the main character that I may or may not be posting at some point in the future. For now, enjoy! x

There was a collective groan throughout all of Z.Z. Riverhead High School as the all-too-familiar monotonous buzz of the school’s bell rang through the crammed hallways. The perpetual drone of conversation was replaced instead with an atmosphere of scuffling, locker doors slamming and hurried feet as the students rushed to their first period of the day.  
Castiel Novak clutched his books self-consciously closer to his chest as the waves of students pushed and shoved past him, completely oblivious to their surroundings. He kept his head down as he turned a corner sharply to end up in Professor Uriel’s beliefs and values class. He did a quick scan of the room to find his friend Meg practically falling asleep in a desk next to the classroom’s only window. He rolled his eyes and hurried towards her, purposefully dropping his books on his desk loudly and jolting her awake. She quickly steadied herself and glared as Castiel shuffled his chair closer to the desk.  
“That was rude, I almost fell out of my chair!” She proclaimed and Castiel shook his head at her. Her face went deadpan. “What?”  
Castiel let out a loud sigh.  
“You were obviously talking to Crowley all night, then.” He shook his head again. “You never get adequate sleep exchanging flirtations with him.”  
Meg smirked.  
“Jealous, are we?” She grinned. Castiel’s brow creased in confusion.  
“No…why would I-“ He was silenced, along with all the other students, as the dark skinned teacher Professor Uriel entered the classroom. The teacher exuded a particularly authoritative and cynical atmosphere as he strode to the front of the class, placing his things on his desk before facing the students.  
“Good morning students,” he addressed, “We are starting a new unit today, still pertaining to our topic of Christianity.” He turned around to face to whiteboard, writing in big, blue letters “HEAVEN” and then on the other side in red, “HELL”. Again, he faced the class. “I would like you to brain storm with a partner what your views on these particular elements of Christianity mean to you. You have five minutes. Begin.”  
Castiel turned to face Meg who was ripping out a page from a notebook.  
“So annoyed we have Professor Uriel first period on the first Monday back…” She muttered, shuffling her desk closer to Castiel’s so they could both write on the page.  
“I don’t understand why I seem to be the only student who enjoys the Professor’s classes.” Castiel said.  
The class had already begun to correspond amongst themselves so Castiel and Meg started working. The rest of the lesson after the brainstorm was spent conferring ideas with themselves and the Professor. The discussing lessons were the student’s favourites in beliefs and values, though Professor Uriel was rather a hard person to reason with at times.

Castiel winced as he entered the lunch hall; the noise of all the students eating together was deafening. He hurried over to a table tucked away in the corner of the large space. Seated on it were two people – an older, tall girl with long red hair and a shorter boy with short, brown hair, slicked back. They waved as Castiel approached them.  
“Hey there, big brother!” Exclaimed the boy. The girl moved over on her seat to give him room. Castiel gave a brief smile as he sat down next to her.  
“Thank you Anna.” He said simply, before frowning and looking around. “Where is Meg?”  
The boy shrugged.  
“Maybe she got kept behind.” Suggested Anna.  
“She does have a habit of back-chatting Mr Michaels.” Stated the boy. He chuckled to himself.  
“What is it?” Asked Castiel, frowning at him. The boy smiled at him.  
“Can’t wait to get him next year.” He said sarcastically. “I’m sure he’ll be happy to have another member of the Novak family after he’s had you two.”  
Castiel nodded.  
“Yes, I’m sure he wi-“  
“Oh come on, we weren’t that bad.” Interrupted Anna before the boy had noticed Castiel’s weak grasp on the sarcasm. However, he had already noticed and was grinning at Castiel.  
“No matter how many times you do that, it kills me each time.” He exclaimed at his older brother, barely containing his laughter.  
“That’s only because you have a crap sense of humour, Gabriel.” Said a voice next to the family. Meg forced Gabriel over on his seat as she sat down next to him. “Sorry I’m late folks, his majesty Michaels was a bit unhappy with my performance in class today.” She declared, helping herself to a small container of yoghurt she had for lunch.  
“Perhaps you should pay better attention in his classes,” suggested Castiel, “In fact, all of your classes.” He raised his eyebrows at her. She merely grinned.  
“No offence buddy, but I’m not taking educational advice from an overachiever. I’d probably wear myself out.”  
Castiel let out an exasperated sigh.  
“I’m not an-“ He started, but was cut off from his older sister.  
“Anyway,” She said, obviously trying to stir the conflict away from the group, “Being a prefect and everything, I’m well informed about new-goings on at the school. Seems there’ll be a couple of new students coming in tomorrow.”  
“What years are they in?” Asked Castiel, biting into a burger.  
“They’re brothers – Sam & Dean Winchester. Sam is in your year, Gabriel and Dean’s in yours, Cassie.”  
Meg snorted and Castiel rolled his eyes.  
“It’s bad enough when Balthazar uses that nickname on me,” He looked as his sister, annoyed. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t.”  
Anna smiled and shrugged.  
“Sorry, but your reaction each time is priceless.” She grinned. Castiel sighed.  
“Sometimes I feel like I’m always the butt of the jokes in this family…” He muttered before the bell sounded for the end of recess.

The next day, the Winchesters had not been sighted by any of the friends. It was the end of the day, and though most people in Castiel’s year would normally dread the last period on a Tuesday, the members of his next class were as happy as he was. They had Extended English, and that meant Ms Terrace.  
Ms Terrace was the epitome of a young child’s favourite primary school teacher but she had somehow ended up at Riverhead teaching English and Music to high school students. To those she taught, she was a godsend. With what little homework she set and the rare times she set it, the students were inspired to complete it. She taught well, with much love and care for her subject and students. It was impossible to dislike the subject if she taught you. Most of the boys had crushes on her, as she was quite a beautiful woman and, at times, had a boyish personality.  
Castiel sat, as he normally did, in the centre of the class at the front by himself, and awaited her arrival.  
Ms Terrace was later than she normally was when she entered the classroom, and she was not alone. Next to her was a tall boy wearing a battered-up leather jacket with a smug look on his face and a general bad-boy atmosphere surrounding him.  
“Hi everyone!” The teacher exclaimed in her usual cheery voice, leading the boy to the front of the class with her. “We’ve got a new student joining us. Dean Winchester, this is Year 11 Extended English. Year 11 Extended English, this is Dean Winchester.” She gestured back and forth between the two as she explained. Dean smirked.  
“How’s it going?” He said casually. A couple of girls in the class giggled.  
Castiel stared. His breath caught in his throat as the boy spoke in a sexy, deep voice. He gripped the sides of his seat tightly as Dean sat in the only available seat – next to him. He continued to stare at him. Dean must have noticed because he turned to look at him. He frowned at Castiel and smirked again.  
“What’s your name?” He asked casually as Ms Terrace began to write some questions on the board. Castiel gulped, unable to register what Dean had just asked. Dean raised a questioning eyebrow at him. “You alright, dude?” He asked in a concerned tone. Castiel blinked.  
“C-Cas-Castiel. My name is Castiel.” He said haltingly. Dean nodded as one would nod at someone who was suspected of a mental disability. He laughed nervously, shifting awkwardly in his chair looking forward and raising his eyebrows at the air.  
“Right.” He said simply, turning his attention to his notebook where we began to note down the questions Ms Terrace had finished writing. Castiel shook himself, realising he was still staring. What is wrong with me? He questioned, aggressively zipping his pencil case shut and taking notes.  
Meanwhile, the teacher was ready to address the class.  
“Well,” She began in a bright voice to get the student’s attention, “Since it’s the first week back from Term 2 holidays, I reckon I’ll make those questions due next Wednesday.” There was a collective sigh of relief from the students. “Since it’s the last period and our first English lesson since the holidays, I think we could swing a quiet reading session today.”  
There was a murmur of happy agreement throughout the class. Castiel didn’t say anything, still intent on writing down the questions in perfect handwriting. He was focusing so much he was indenting the next couple of pages of his notebook with the force he was concentrating in his biro.  
“Awesome!” Ms Terrace proclaimed, grinning. “Let’s get started then. Everyone take out your copies of Year of Wonders by Miss Brooks. May I say, that you won’t have to read the whole thing before the test if you don’t want to but, being in Extended English and all, I sort of expect you to.” She grinned and shrugged. “No pressure.”  
Castiel gratefully pulled out his copy and engrossed himself in the storyline, distracting himself from his disturbing thoughts on the Dean Winchester front.


	2. A Less Daunting Winchester

Castiel studied the Year of Wonders questions Ms Terrace had set them the period beforehand. The usual quiet atmosphere found in every library had settled around the school’s as soon as the louder students had left at about 4pm.  
Castiel was one to get his work done straight away; he lived under the notion of completing that which can be done just as well the next day. He bit his upper-lip and tapped his biro on the notebook page.  
Question 5- Would you have reacted any other way to the news that Anna Frith’s town received? Consider the novel’s context in your answer.  
Castiel stared at the page before realising he had re-read the question seven or eight times and seemed to have trouble processing it. Begrudgingly, he closed his notebook and pushed it aside, rubbing the bridge between his eyes and squinting. Images of his encounter with the older brother were swimming around in his head, casting a dull fog over his thoughts. He cursed himself for freezing up the way he did when all Dean had tried to do was make polite conversation with him. He bit down on his bottom lip hard as he felt the all-too-familiar swell deep in his stomach; a mixture between regret, embarrassment and anxiety, the type that forms from reflecting on a particularly notorious event of a past day when trying to sleep. Nevertheless, there was an extra feeling there too; attraction and longing. Part of him, no matter how small the fragment, was happy and hopeful that the Winchester had even tried to talk to him. He hadn’t bothered with the pretty girls behind him or the cooler-looking guys around him; just Castiel.  
Vigorously, Castiel shook himself and buried the immature feelings to the pits of his stomach, deeper than the anxiety sludge. He rubbed his face and looked over at his homework pile. It had dwindled now to Professor Uriel’s assignment of writing a profile on his choice of an archangel. Castiel let out a loud, exasperated sigh as he slid the work towards him, cursing at the school curriculum inside his head for the stupid assignments teachers set at the start of topics. He scanned over the overview of the expected work without taking much of the information in before realising he wasn’t going to get any more work done today. Gathering up his books in a pile, he shoved them to the bottom of his school bag and looked at his reading book in front of him. He frowned.  
A shadow had been cast upon Year of Wonders that had not been there before. He looked up to see a student he had never seen until now.  
He was very tall, but he seemed younger than Castiel. He had long, brown hair with a parting in the middle that grew out to frame his face.  
Castiel swallowed; he was not accustomed to people approaching him for anything. The boy cleared his throat and smiled warmly at him. Castiel relaxed a bit knowing the kid was obviously not there to cause him any trouble.  
“Umm, hi. The library lady said we had to go; they’re closing up.” The boy smiled awkwardly then. Castiel frowned and checked his watch; 5.45pm. His mouth opened slightly.  
“I didn’t realise the time…” He muttered before pushing his chair out and hoisting up his backpack. The boy nodded, walking over and pushing Castiel’s chair in for him. Castiel raised his eyebrows. “Thank you.” He said in a slightly bemused fashion; he wasn’t used to people helping him or approaching him.  
“It’s fine.” The boy said, smiling again. The two walked out of the doors and towards the school’s entrance. It was clear there were no cars waiting to pick up either of them. “Hey, do you mind if I wait with you?” The stranger asked Castiel. He shrugged.  
“Of course not,” He said, sitting on a bench facing the road. As the boy sat next to him, he shifted uncomfortably. The prospect of talking to him was becoming slightly disconcerting; Castiel found it hard to make up conversation with Meg and his family, let alone kind strangers. Castiel coughed. “Uhh, umm-“ He started.  
“I’m Sam by the way.” Said the boy, smiling at him. Castiel returned the favour.  
“My name is Castiel,” He replied, reaching out and shaking Sam’s outstretched hand. Sam raised his eyebrows.  
“Interesting name,” he commented. Castiel nodded.  
“Yes, my family has a strange way about naming children.” He grinned. “For instance, my cousin was christened Balthazar.”  
Sam’s eyes widened slightly.  
“Balthazar?” He said, perplexed. Castiel nodded. Sam shrugged. “At least you don’t have an ordinary name.”  
“Like Samuel?”  
“Yeah, like Samuel.” Sam smiled and considered something. “I suppose you could say my parents didn’t have a great imagination when it came to naming us because my brother’s name is Dean.”  
Sam chuckled to himself.  
Castiel sat up slightly straighter and had a sheepish look about him. Sam Winchester. Of course.  
The two were silent for a moment. Castiel twiddled his thumbs.  
“I understand you’re new here, Sam? You and your brother?” He asked, looking over at him.  
“Yeah,” he answered, still facing the road.  
“How do you like Riverhead so far?”  
Sam snorted and smiled ironically at himself. Castiel frowned.  
“Does something amuse you?” He asked, tilting his head slightly to the side. Sam looked at him and, mistaking his frown for anger, quickly regained a more serious face.  
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you, it’s just,” He paused, looking out to the horizon once more, “The kids here just sort of treat me like I don’t exist.”  
Castiel smiled a little.  
“Don’t be alarmed, you didn’t offend me.” He said simply, studying Sam. “They tend to ignore the more studious individuals because we both intimidate and coax them. We’re like different life forms to them, I suppose.” He, too, was watching the overcast horizon. Sam was smiling now. “I expect we should be thankful they don’t take their anger and frustration out on us like they seem to do in our surrounding schools. To be honest, I don’t mind being overlooked.”  
Sam observed him.  
“Doesn’t it make you feel undermined?”  
Castiel shook his head. The two watched as a car passed the entrance but didn’t turn in to the school grounds and sat in a comfortable silence. Castiel thought of something.  
“If you would like, you would be more than welcome to join my friend Meg and my family at break times.”  
Sam grinned.  
“That would be great. It’d be nice to make some friends here.”  
As Sam spoke, a purple El Camino Chevrolet pulled into the drive and drove around next to the boys. Castiel looked confused, standing up and tapping on the tinted window of the driver’s seat. It was wound down to reveal a man with a slight beard and a low-cut, V-neck grey shirt driving.  
“Hello there Cassie,” He said in a British accent, “I’ve come to take you home.”  
The confusion didn’t subside from Castiel’s face, aside from grimacing slightly at the embarrassing nickname.  
“I thought Dad was picking me up today,” He said, grabbing his school bag and throwing it into the back seat.  
“No, He had to leave to go somewhere. I’m looking after you lot for the next couple of days.”  
Castiel nodded reluctantly. He turned to Sam.  
“So I’ll be seeing you at our table tomorrow then, Sam?” He asked, smiling slightly. Sam gave him the thumbs up.

“So did Dad say where, exactly?” Castiel asked, staring out the window as they drove through the suburbs.  
“Does He ever,” Balthazar replied, saying it as a statement rather than a question. Castiel looked slightly downcast. Balthazar’s face softened. “Cheer up, Cassie, as least you’ve got me looking after you and not your aunt. And you’ve got that hot piece of ass hanging out with you and your friends at school.” He grinned. Castiel raised his eyebrows at him.  
“You mean Sam?” He questioned.  
“No, Cassie, I meant to tree you were sitting next to.” He replied sarcastically, turning into Castiel’s driveway.

“So what’s he like then?” Meg questioned as she and Castiel took their seats at the empty table.  
“I’m not sure what you want to know about him.” Castiel said, nodding towards his sister who was walking over to them.  
“Gabriel tells me you’ve invited someone to our table.” She said, sitting in her usual spot across from Castiel.  
“Yes, I hope you don’t mind.” He replied, unwrapping his recess. Anna smiled.  
“Of course not, it’s nice to have some different company for a change.”  
“What, our company not good enough for you?” Questioned Gabriel, sitting next to his sister and smirking at her. A cough was audible next to the group and Sam was revealed to be standing next to them.  
“Um, hi.” He said, smiling awkwardly at the group.  
“Hi!” Said Anna brightly, “My name’s Anna. I’m Castiel’s sister.”  
“I’m Meg, his friend,” She explained. There was a silence and everyone turned expectantly to Gabriel. He was staring at Sam with wide eyes, seeming to be in a strange trance.  
“Umm, and that’s my brother Gabriel.” Continued Castiel, gesturing at his brother. Sam looked uncomfortable at the brother’s gaze. Anna kicked him under the table, making him jolt out of his trance. He grinned at Sam.  
“Nice to meet ya’.” He said. Sam smiled and sat in front of him, next to Meg. The group was quiet a moment.  
“So, Sam, what teachers do you have?” Asked Gabriel after a moment. Sam thought for a moment.  
“So far, I’ve got Mr Lucifero, Professor Raphael, Mademoiselle Naomi, I have Dr Metatron next-“  
“Oh! So do I!” Gabriel exclaimed, interrupting Sam.  
“Cool, so you’re in my literature class?” Sam asked.  
“Extended English literature.” Meg corrected him. Sam frowned at her. “Gabriel gets really pissy if you forget that bit.”  
Gabriel shot her a cold look but Sam merely laughed.  
“Do you think you could show me where the class is?” Sam asked Gabriel bashfully, “I’m still finding my way around this school.”  
Gabriel was more than happy to oblige and the two left together. Anna, Castiel and Meg were quiet for a moment.  
“Is it just me, or does Gabriel have a thing for Sam?” Anna asked suggestively, grinning as the door closed on them.  
“Well, that’s obvious.” Meg said, chuckling to herself. “He must have been pretty far back in the closet though because I’d never had suspected.”  
“Ah, well, you don’t live with him.” Anna said smugly. She looked over at Castiel and frowned. “You alright, Cassie?” She asked. He was staring intently at his hands.  
“Mademoiselle Naomi…She had it in for me last year.”  
Meg frowned at her friend.  
“Come on, she wasn’t that bad.” She said, having had her for French the year before and dropping it along with Castiel.  
“No, but you weren’t in my classes.” He said seriously, shaking his head. Anna frowned at him.  
“Seriously Castiel, what’s wrong?”  
“She’s the reason I have anxiety problems…” He muttered before standing up suddenly and walking away.


	3. Concerning the Novak Residence

Castiel sat in the row of seats at the back of his next class, across from Meg.   
“Did you study for the quiz today?” He whispered to Meg as Dr Zachariah strode to the front of the class. He wore a smug, impetuous smile that he always wore when he was expecting homework, assignments or for people to have studied for something (which was basically every lesson). Meg shifted uncomfortably, her face going pale.  
“No, I completely forgot.” She said in an anxious voice. Castiel shot her a sympathetic look.   
“Afternoon class,” Dr Zachariah started, walking so he stood in front of the middle column of desks, “I trust you all studied over the holidays for our little quiz this morning because if you didn’t...” He leant forward slightly, still grinning, “...I will know.” He finished maliciously, straightening up abruptly and strolling over to his desk. Meg gulped.  
“And to think I used to like Politics & Law,” She muttered nervously with a forced smile, trying her best to lighten the situation but to no avail.   
“Question one, what was John F. Kennedy’s secretary’s name?” The teacher asked, smiling at his students in a predatory way. Meg bit her bottom lip and her hand hovered over her page, shaking but not writing. “Question two, what was her warning to the president?”  
“Crap…” Meg cursed quietly under her breath. She felt something touch her arm and saw that Castiel was handing her a tiny piece of paper, staring at the teacher to make sure he could not see what he was doing. She sighed with relief and grabbed it quickly, making sure Dr Zachariah’s back was still to the class.   
"Evelyn Lincoln – She warned him not to go to Dallas."  
Meg quickly scribbled an answer on her page, knowing better than to smile at her friend. The last time a similar situation like this had happened, Castiel had been caught and got into serious trouble. Cheating and eluding the teacher was a serious crime in Dr Zachariah’s classes.   
“Question three…” Dr Zachariah continued to drone on, completely unaware of Castiel and Meg’s correspondence. The questions he asked (fifty in total) became exceedingly difficult from start to finish and took the class the entire period to finish. Politics & Law was a subject all students who had Dr Zachariah despised. He was a strict, arrogant and overconfident man who punished his students harshly and hardly ever congratulated good work. The only amusement he ever provided for his students were his various attempts at flirting with Ms Terrace outside of class, which always ended badly for him and comically for everyone else.  
He seemed to pick on Castiel and Meg the most out of their class; he held grudges against the more exceptional, recluse and independent students. When Castiel’s older sister Anna was in his year, before she dropped Politics & Law, she had made a mistake in a very simple question during an important test. Dr Zachariah had humiliated her in front of the entire class - though other students had made the same mistake - and she had to leave the room to sob in the hallway. His cruelty seemed to exceed no bounds, not unlike the principle of the school, Mr Raphael.   
He was every bit similar to Dr Zachariah, and the two got on like peas in a pod. When Castiel had been caught giving Meg the answers to the quiz the term before, he had been sent to the principle. Mr Raphael had called up his Father and dramatized the situation. Castiel had had to face a formidable tempest when he arrived home that day and no amount of consolation from his brother or sister could calm his nerves.   
As soon as the school’s bell rang for the end of the period and the start of lunch, Castiel let out a strained breath of relief. Neither he nor Meg had been caught; the two were the first students out of the door.  
“Castiel, I owe you big for that.” Meg said as soon as they were clear of the class.   
“Don’t worry yourself about it, I just hope you’d do the same for me.” Castiel replied, fumbling with his locked locker.   
“I’m not sure I could.” She countered, looking at Castiel with a sort of awe. “Seriously, I’m in your debt.”   
“Well, if it will stop you insisting, I’ll keep that in mind.” He muttered, shoving his Politics book right to the back of his locker as if it was diseased. “Just thank God we’ve no homework.”   
“We’ve got that assignment due next week from the end of last term.” Meg pointed out. Castiel shrugged.   
“I finished that during the first week of holidays.” He explained, pulling out his food for lunch. Meg rolled her eyes.  
“Of course you did.”

It was quiet at the lunch table this particular afternoon. Anna had just finished a study period and was still in study-mode, reading from an art textbook, and Gabriel had just experienced the wrath of Mademoiselle Naomi in full; forgetting his homework and working out how to swear in French in one period didn’t have a nice effect on her. Something appeared to be troubling Sam, but Castiel was the only one who seemed to notice after he got over his nerves from his past period.   
“Are you okay Sam, you seem to be a lot quieter than usual.” Castiel commented, his curiosity getting the better of him. Sam looked at him drowsily and shrugged dismally.   
“It’s my dad; he’s leaving my brother and I alone for the next five days.” He explained simply. The family exchanged glances. Sam frowned. “What?”  
“God knows we’re used to that,” Gabriel muttered. Meg smiled oddly.   
“This lunch table makes my family look like Saints,” She muttered, picking at a salad that sat in front of her. Castiel nodded.  
“Your family has never been anything but kind to me…” He added. Anna looked up from her textbook.   
“If it’s any consolation Sam, our Father is away as well at the moment.” She closed the book and regarded him. “Our older cousin is looking after us.”   
Sam frowned.  
“Is that Balthazar?” He questioned. Castiel nodded. A silence settled on them again, becoming deafening as soon as the lunchroom was vacated as the other students went about their normal business during the break. Castiel eyed his family; Gabriel was staring hard at the table, seeming to be avoiding Sam’s various glances in his direction, and Anna was back to reading her textbook. He frowned and shrugged at himself.  
“You’re welcome to stay with us if you would like Sam.” He said, looking to his siblings for confirmation. They both grinned and nodded.  
“Your brother is welcome too, of course,” Anna added. Castiel went slightly pink and was relieved when no one noticed; all were focusing on Sam. He was grinning from ear to ear, seeming unable to believe the kindness.  
“That would be amazing!” He cried but then quickly relaxed his face. “I mean, if it’s not too much trouble and you don’t think your cousin will mind…”   
Gabriel shook his head eagerly.  
“You guys can stay in the spare room.” He explained. Castiel turned to look at Sam.   
“Do you mind sharing a room with your brother?” He asked. Sam shook his head, smiling a little.  
“I’m sort of used to it; this is one of the only towns we’ve moved to that we’ve stayed in a house.” He grinned at himself. “Dean was so grateful for his own room.”  
Meg smiled hopefully at the group.  
“Does that mean you guys will be taking the school bus today?” She asked keenly.   
“Yes, I have completed my homework that I’ve been set so far so I don’t need to stay in the library.” Castiel said, smiling at his friend.   
“Good,” She said, assuming her normal dry facial expression again, “I miss you guys annoying the crap outta’ me.”

Dean didn’t sit with them on the bus ride, preferring instead to mix with his own group of friends. Castiel looked with disgust as he realised that he had befriended the more idiotic, immature and popular boys. He refused to acknowledge the tiny amount of jealousy also dripping its way into his stomach, focusing on his own friends.   
“What sort of stuff do you guys do for fun?” Sam had asked. Anna grinned.  
“We’ve got a pretty impressive DVD collection,” She explained. Gabriel cut in.   
“And Cassie is pretty fond of board games, so we’ve got plenty of those,” He explained. Castiel had grown tired of reacting to the nickname, so he ignored him. Meg grinned.  
“I would also recommend Gabriel’s video games,” She added. Gabriel beamed and nodded. Sam brightened a little at this.   
“Midwestern Denis Street!” Called the driver causing Anna to look up.  
“That’s us,” She muttered to Sam. They climbed out of their seats at the back of the bus and Sam followed behind the family, after they said their goodbyes to Meg. Before they got off, Sam tapped his brother where he sat at the front of the bus.  
“This is our stop, Dean,” He explained before following the Novaks off the bus.   
“Oh, dude, you don’t wanna mix with them nerds,” Slurred one of the boys Dean sat with.  
“Watch it, Alastair,” Meg growled from the other end of the bus. Alastair merely grinned sarcastically at her, though he did seem a little afraid.  
“Well, my geek brother is forcing me to spend a night with them so, you know,” Dean claimed, following his brother off the bus. The Novaks were quite far ahead of them, so they powerwalked to catch up with them. Various other kids headed off in the opposite direction.   
“You shouldn’t bag on them like that, Dean,” Sam said, glaring at his older brother, “They’re good people.”   
Dean shrugged offhandedly.   
“Whatever, they’re a bit weird for me.” Dean said simply. Sam looked and shook his head disbelievingly at him.   
“After what we’re used to, I wouldn’t think ‘weird’ would be a problem.” Sam said but silenced himself when they caught up with the Novaks.   
“We’re only a couple of blocks away,” Gabriel explained as they turned a corner. Dean raised his eyebrows at his brother. This neighbourhood was obviously for wealthy people. While the others made a little conversation, Dean remained silent and avoided them as much as he could manage without getting lost. His apprehensiveness was obvious.   
“Our house is just on the edge of that street,” Castiel pointed to the street sign that read LIGHT MIRA Place. They walked along the right side of the road a bit until they reached the number 54. Sam smiled.  
“Nice house.” He said approvingly as they walked up the driveway. Regardless of Sam’s good intentions, Castiel felt a little crushed when he saw Dean’s condemning look at the two-storey building.

Balthazar shook Sam’s hand.   
“Nice to properly meet you two,” He said warmly. He held his hand out to Dean, who raised his eyebrows and took it gingerly. The older cousin stood aside for everyone to enter. The Novaks rushed forward to drop their bags off in the living room, but the Winchesters took some time to access the entrance-hallway. Balthazar walked up the stairs as Sam admired Claude Monet’s ‘Vétheuil in the Fog’ on the cream coloured walls. Dean wrinkled his nose at the religious attire on the opposite wall; a black crucifix hung next to a portrait of Joseph and Mary cradling a baby Jesus Christ.  
“As if they weren’t bad enough, looks like they’re bible thumpers too,” He muttered under his breath, before walking down the hallway. Sam frowned after his brother and looked at the wall he was criticising. He shook his head at his brother’s reaction and followed him.

Dean was a little more accommodating as they sat down to dinner, after spending some time in his and his brother’s room sulking and finishing school work. The Novaks had respected his privacy.   
“Thanks for dinner Balthazar,” Sam said, finishing a mouthful of pasta. Neither of the Winchesters were used to homemade dinners and were enjoying every bit of it. Balthazar shrugged.  
“I had hardly any input, it was Cassie mostly,” He said, gesturing to Castiel whose eyes immediately dropped to his meal. Dean snorted at his nickname, making him go red. Balthazar seemed to be enjoying his torment. Sam merely grinned cordially at him.  
“It’s really nice, Castiel, thanks!”   
Castiel shrugged awkwardly.   
“It was easier for me to cook because I didn’t have any school work.” He forced himself to look up at and smile at Sam. “Pasta is easy to make.” He said simply.   
“Castiel is actually the best in our house at cooking,” commented Anna, winking at her brother who smiled at her.   
“Gabriel is awfully good at baking,” Castiel added, nudging his brother who seemed to have frozen when Sam started grinning. He smiled bashfully. Dean rolled his eyes at the family. Nobody except Sam and Balthazar noticed; Sam kicked him under the table and shot him a piercing look that said ‘Be grateful’. Balthazar merely frowned at him a little, seeming to be able to understand his view.

“Why’d you make me come here, Sammy?” Dean asked, stretching out on his bed. Sam stopped in the middle of the room to stare angrily at him. Dean frowned. “What?”   
Sam shook his head at him.   
“Don’t you think this is a bit better than sulking around the house all night and morning waiting for dad?” He asked. Dean shrugged.   
“At least we’d have a bit more freedom.” He said, directing his gaze to the ceiling. Sam shook his head again.  
“I can’t believe you…” He muttered, flopping onto his bed.   
“What’s gotten into you?” Dean frowned at his little brother. “I didn’t think you minded spending the night with me that much.”   
Sam sighed.  
“It’s not that Dean, it’s just nice to have hospitable friends who are willing to take us in while dad is away.” He rolled over to face his brother. “Have we ever actually met people who’ve done that before?”   
Dean shrugged and stared at the ceiling again.   
“I still don’t see why they asked in the first place.” He muttered.   
“It’s because we’re not meant to be home alone five days a week, Dean!” Sam cried, suddenly quite angry. “Dad is supposed to look after us, not decide to leave us suddenly and not provide a reason! And the Novaks understand that.” Sam calmed a bit.   
“The Novaks don’t know shit.” Dean spat glaring at empty space. Sam glared at his brother.   
“You don’t know anything about them, Dean.”  
Dean shrugged.  
“I know they’re bible thumpers and they are one of those creepily close families.” He looked around himself. “And they’re rich. That’s enough for me.” He rolled over so his back was to his brother.  
“So, what, you think you can just judge them based on that?” Sam asked in an angry, incredulous voice.   
“Damn straight.” Came Dean’s answer. Sam let out an exasperated sigh. Dean rolled his eyes and turned around to face them again. “Why do you care what I think about them, anyway?”   
Sam shrugged.  
“I just thought you would get along with them if you gave them a chance, that’s all,” He explained, mirroring Dean’s previous position of staring at the ceiling. “You’ve got a lot in common with Castiel.”   
Dean snorted.  
“Seriously, Dean,” Sam continued reasonably, “Think about it. He loves his family, and can be quite protective of his friend Meg. You know he took the full blame for something she had a part in in one of Dr Zachariah’s classes once and got sent to the principle.”  
Dean raised his eyebrows.  
“Wow.” He said, clearly surprised.   
“From what I can gather about his Dad, He’s hardly ever here,” Sam resumed, “and Castiel cops most of the crap from Him, like you.” Dean shifted uncomfortably on his bed at this, but Sam continued. “From what I’ve heard, he seems to have most of the responsibility weighing on him.”  
“What about Anna?” Dean butted in.   
“Well, she’s a girl for one thing, and as far as I’m aware, his Dad is pretty old-fashioned. She is also quite independent, so I doubt she lets her position as oldest affect her too much.” Sam finished and was quiet. Dean looked over at him.  
“What, that’s it? Right, he’s totally my fucking soul-mate, Sammy.” Dean rolled over again, his back to Sam. “Still doesn’t explain the Brady Bunch and religious shit…” He muttered, letting his eyes close slowly.  
“Have you considered the fact that the reason they might be so tight-knit is because his Dad is never here?” Sam asked. “That’s what happened with us, Dean.”   
Dean stopped his eyes closing and considered this.   
“And as far as the religious stuff is concerned, that’s another area where he’s similar to you.” Sam added. Dean snorted.  
“What the fuck are you on about?” He asked lazily.  
“Well, maybe Castiel immerses himself in religion like you immerse yourself in the occult.” Sam explained slowly. Dean frowned.  
“Dad got me into that stuff,” He said defensively, “I did it so he’d be proud of me.”  
Sam rolled his eyes at his brother.  
“And you don’t think Castiel did it for that reason, too?” He rolled over, his back facing his brother. Long after Sam’s breathing had deepened and evened out, Dean was still awake, mulling over their conversation.


	4. A Conversation Over Pancakes

Castiel hummed softly to himself as he flipped a pancake. He rocked slowly as he looked up at the clock on the wall above him. It read 7:05 am.   
Castiel sighed and picked up the frying pan’s handle, turning the pancake onto his plate. He shuffled over to the table behind him. He placed his plate down and walked over to the fridge, pulling out a carton of orange juice.   
“Early riser?”  
Castiel jumped, completely unaware anyone else was awake or near him. He turned around to see Dean leaning against the doorway with a smug expression on his face. Castiel blinked and concentrated on his face. Dean was shirtless with a pair of flannel pyjama bottoms that were black and decorated with white occult motifs.   
“Umm, yeah,” He replied, trying to ignore Dean’s buff chest and slightly pudgy stomach, “Are you?”   
Dean shrugged, stepping off the door way and walking towards a cupboard.  
“Not really.” He explained. “I normally wake up early in alien places though.”   
Castiel frowned and nodded.  
“I’m sorry you don’t like it here.” He said, pulling out two glasses and filling them with the juice. Dean looked guiltily at him. Castiel gestured to the unused pancake batter. “Would you care for some pancakes?” He asked tentatively. Dean’s eyes brightened.   
“Yeah, if you don’t mind, that’d be awesome,” He smiled at Castiel, as he turned the gas stove on again. Castiel gulped as he felt his neck grow slightly hot at the attention, feeling exposed. He himself was wearing nothing but a pair of black tracksuits. Dean picked up one of the glasses of orange juice and sat down at the table.  
“What time does your family normally get up?” He asked. Castiel poked at the cooking pancake.   
“Well, Anna normally arises between 7.30 and 7.45ish. Gabriel is later, normally about 8. The bus leaves at 8.20 so we try to get out by about quarter past.”   
Dean frowned.  
“How does he manage to catch the bus on time?”   
“Who, Gabriel?” He shrugged as he slid Dean’s pancake onto a plate. “I’m not entirely sure. He seems to have perfected the art of getting ready in record time. I normally try to help him by making his breakfast and break meals.” He handed Dean his plate.   
“Thanks, Cas,” He said, grabbing the maple syrup that sat in the middle of the table. Castiel sat rooted to his spot, looking blankly at Dean.  
“What did you call me?” He asked, confused. Dean looked at him and frowned.  
“Umm…Cas?” He answered, then he too looked confused, “Why? Is there a problem with that?”   
Castiel shook his vigorously, shaking himself out of the perplexed state.   
“No, it’s just…” He broke away, sitting down across from Dean, looking broodingly at his pancakes. Dean was still frozen in the same position before, curious.  
“Just what?” He pressed.   
“Well, no one has ever called me that before besides my mum.” He said, looking up at Dean, recalling a past memory.   
“Oh,” Dean swallowed, “Right. Sorry. I won’t say it again.”   
Castiel frowned at him.  
“No, it’s fine,” He shrugged. “I like it. It’s better than ‘Cassie’.”   
Dean snorted again.   
“See?” Castiel pointed out, grabbing the maple syrup from Dean.  
“Sorry,” Dean apologised, still grinning, “It’s pretty funny though.” He bit into a pancake and wolfed it down immediately. “These are awesome!” He exclaimed, his mouth still full of food. Castiel half-smiled at him.  
“Glad you like them,” He started on his own. The pair were quiet as they ate. Dean kept glancing expectantly at Castiel, but he didn’t look up, seeming to be avoiding eye contact with the Winchester. Dean looked at him guiltily again.  
“Hey, Cas,” He said when he was almost finished, making him look up, “Look, I’m sorry about the way I’ve been acting. You were wrong before.”   
“About what?” Castiel cocked his head slightly to the side.  
“I do like it here, I’m just not letting myself.”   
Castiel frowned.   
“I don’t understand.”  
“I’ve been kind of angry, probably at dad for moving again and then pissing off and not telling us where he was going. I’m sick of changing schools and making new friends. When Sammy told me I was going to stay at yours for the night, I just felt…I donno…”  
“Are you jealous of your brother?”  
Dean shrugged.  
“Yeah maybe a bit. See, if he ever makes friends at schools, they’re always with really smart and deep kids, like you and your family, and I can only ever really get friendly with the shallow, popular guys.”   
Castiel nodded.  
“I understand.” He said simply. Dean stood up and walked to the sink to put his plate in.   
“You have interesting pants.” Castiel commented, finished the remnants of his pancake. Dean grinned.   
“They don’t offend you, do they?” He asked, scrubbing at the plate. Castiel frowned.   
“No, why would they?”  
“Well, you know, they’re sort of Supernatural Devil worship and your family is more “give praise to God” kind of thing.”  
Castiel raised his eyebrows.   
“Occult isn’t all Devil worship. In fact, some of it is perfectly reasonable protection against evil.” He stood up and walked to the sink where Dean had just vacated to finish his juice. “It doesn’t offend me.”   
“Cool.” Dean said, still unsure. Castiel picked up the hint of hesitation in his voice.  
“Meg is a Satanist; we get along swimmingly.” He explained simply, drying off the plates and placing them in the cupboard. Dean widened his eyes.  
“Oh, ok then. Fair enough.” He said simply. He eyed Castiel as he took the empty cups from the table to wash them, frowning. “You’re alright, Cas. Not many people would put up with my shit. Thanks, man.”   
Castiel flinched slightly at the language, but Dean didn’t notice.  
“It’s the least I could do for a house guest.” He said, and as Dean turned to leave to get changed, he continued. “And friend.”


	5. Co-Curricular

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you don't know some of the songs mentioned, I'd recommend looking them up. They are fantastic classics x

When Dean sat down opposite his little brother, Castiel was struck with how fuller the table looked. Instead of two to a bench, there were now three, and for the first time in a long time, people were struggling with room. It was a strange transition in a short period of time.   
Dean shifted uncomfortably next to Gabriel as he took out the sandwich he had made that morning.   
“So, what kind of stuff do you guys do outside of school?” He asked, taking a bite.   
“You mean like co-curricular?” Meg asked. Dean nodded.   
“Well, we don’t touch sport with a twenty foot pole if that’s what you mean,” Anna said, chuckling to herself. Dean frowned.   
“Then what do you do?”   
“Well, after school today there is a choir and band rehearsal,” explained Gabriel. Dean snorted.  
“Seriously? That sounds friggin’ lame.”   
Sam glowered at his older brother.  
“It’s not as stupid as it seems,” Anna explained reasonably, “there’s hardly anyone who actually comes-“  
“Not surprising.” Dean interrupted, taking another bite.  
“...and Ms Terrace runs it.” She finished. Dean stopped and shrugged.  
“Kay, that makes sense.” He replied, mouth still full of food.   
“Who’s Ms Terrace?” Sam asked.   
“She’s Dean and I’s English teacher,” Castiel explained, another wave of dread lapping into his stomach as he recalled their first meeting there, “But she also teaches music. She’s probably the nicest teacher in the school.”   
“In the world.” Gabriel retorted. Meg grinned.  
“Yeah, we’re sort of in her good books.” She explained.   
“And she’s hot!” Dean exclaimed, gulping down another mouthful.  
“Oh, yeah, that too,” Gabriel agreed slyly. Anna rolled her eyes at them.   
“Boys…” She muttered.   
“You two are welcome to come if you would like.” Castiel said, perhaps too hopefully.   
“Yeah, sure, it sounds fun,” Sam said, smiling. Dean shrugged.  
“Well then, I don’t have much of a choice, do I?”

There were three main groups of people who arrived at the rehearsals; Azazel’s, Tessa’s and the Novaks.   
Azazel was teetering on the edge of popularity (where he had been completely centred once before), not just for his unusual name, but also after setting fire to the school’s famous football banner the year before. He was constantly trying to claw his way back to fame, but to no avail, successing only in people feeling sorry for him. His group consisted mostly of men; the few girls who did hang out with them were in a relationship with them. The Novaks tended to avoid the back of the room where they hung out.   
Tessa was a morbid girl who was an amazing artist and famous for it around the school. Her and her friends got along well with Castiel’s and they both hovered close to the front of the practise room. They consisted of a balance of genders that were intelligent and creative.   
This particular day, though, Tessa and her friends were absent on an art excursion. Azazel let out a yelp when Dean followed at the back of the Novaks into the practise room.   
“Hey, Dean!” He shouted, gesturing at him. Dean cursed under his breath but smiled politely at his old friends, albeit forced. “Didn’t see you at lunch time today! Where were you?”   
Dean shrugged awkwardly, shooting his friends an apologetic glance. They themselves were doing their best not to laugh.   
“I was umm…hanging out with some different people.” He replied, making an effort to seem as if that was the end of the discussion.   
“Who?” Azazel pressed, anxious to know who was well-liked among the more popular at the school, “Was it Alastair? Or Chet?”   
“Uhh, no, not those guys,” Dean replied. He looked at the Novaks again who were all hiding their laughter by turning their backs to him except Castiel. If he was honest with himself, he was enjoying Dean suffer for his arrogance in the first few days at the school. Dean gave him an anxious look that said 'Cas, little help here buddy'. Castiel merely smiled at him, his face reading 'You got yourself into this, not me', but he felt a warm swell in his stomach from Dean’s dependence.   
“Uh…” Dean stuttered again. Azazel frowned.  
“Wait, don’t tell me you were hanging out with the Novaks?” He asked, unbelievingly.   
“Not very quick on the uptake, are we Azazel?” Meg smirked.  
The door opened then, hushing everyone as Ms Terrace walked in, grinning.   
“Nice to see some new faces,” She commented, smiling at Sam and Dean, and as she walked past them on the way to a desk at the front of the room, she muttered, “And good to know you’re mixing with the right people.”

An iPod doc sat on the desk that she connected a small, dark blue iPod into. She looked to the Winchesters again.   
“So my name is Ms Terrace. Dean already knows that but you don’t…?” She said posing a question to the air.  
“Oh, my name is Sam,” He explained. Ms Terrace nodded.   
“Awesome, nice to meet you Sam,” She took a moment to flick through her iPod to find whatever song she was looking for. When she had apparently found it, she straightened up. “Just so you two know, we aren’t some pathetic, sing-song, pop/classical school choir/band. We sing and play real music.” She grinned as she pressed play on the MP3. The students in the room immediately stood up off or straightened up from what they sitting or leaning on and cleared their throats.   
A deep, throbbing base was pulsating through some inbuilt speakers in the room, followed by an electronic melody. Dean’s mouth dropped opened as a complicated bass guitar riff ripped through.   
“No way…” He said, Ms Terrace grinning at him and raising her hands to prepare the singers. The electronic melody cut out for a moment, but was quickly replaced with an even more complicated rhythm. Suddenly the people around Sam and Dean were singing canons over the instrumental.  
“How does it feel” sang one, “to treat me like you do?” sang the other.   
“When you’ve laid your hands upon me” Castiel’s deep voice thundered. Dean raised his eyebrows at his friend, impressed by his singing.   
“And told me who you are” Anna’s sweet, high voice countered.  
And so was their very interesting and entertaining rendition of ‘Blue Monday’ by New Order. Sam noticed, proudly, only the Novaks and Meg had solos. Dean was in a fit of hysterics at the end.   
“That was awesome!” He cried when they had finished. Ms Terrace winked at him.  
“Told ya’ we only do the best.”

For the rest of the afternoon, they did a run-through of ‘I’m Not Down’ by The Clash, Sam and Dean learnt the first verse of ‘Twilight’ by Electric Light Orchestra with everyone else and the chorus to ‘Hotel California’ by The Eagles. It was at this point it became apparent that Gabriel was able to play the electric guitar. He recited the guitar-solo introduction for the beginning of the song for everyone.   
“God, your family’s arty,” Dean remarked to Castiel in between learning a song. Ms Terrace had ‘Black Betty’ by Ram Jam playing in the background. Castiel half-smiled bashfully.   
“Thank you,” He said, “but it’s mostly my brother and sister who are creative. I would like to be able to make artwork like Anna or music like Gabriel.”  
“You can sing,” Dean suggested. Castiel shrugged.   
“My voice is mainly used for the alto parts in songs which can be quite useful I suppose.”   
Dean raised a confused eyebrow.  
“Alto means deep,” Castiel explained, “Like bass.”   
Dean nodded.   
“That’s still pretty cool,” He encouraged. Castiel didn’t seem convinced. “What about your brains? You’re a little smart ass.” Dean said jokingly.   
“Intelligence runs in the family; I’m a dimwit compared to my siblings.” Castiel dismissed, deadpanned.   
“Oh come on Cas,” Dean said cheerfully, “There’s gotta’ be something you beat your bro and ho at.”   
Castiel smiled as his efforts.   
“I’m yet to find it.” He replied simply.   
“Okay guys, rehearsals are finished,” Ms Terrace called, “Awesome work today! Azazel and co., I need you guys to practise a lot more than you are. Maybe get together over the weekend and perfect those harmonies; Blue Monday is a warm up song and isn’t meant to be too difficult for you guys to do. Now get your butts outta’ here!”   
Dean did his best not to chuckle at the embarrassed looks on the group’s faces as they walked out the door.   
“Serves ‘em right.” He muttered to Sam as Azazel pushed past Gabriel to get to the door. Castiel went over to Ms Terrace’s desk to pick up his bag.   
“Hey, Castie,” She whispered to him as he straightened up, “Did I catch you crushing back there?” She asked, grinning at her pupil. Castiel widened his eyes and went pink.  
“I…umm…no, I’m…” He stuttered. Ms Terrace giggled.   
“Hey, don’t worry, it wasn’t obvious,” She looked over at Dean who smiled and waved at her, “I just have a really adept gay-dar.” She winked at him.   
“R-really?” Castiel asked, surprised.   
“Yeah, like 75% of my best friends are gay.” She said nonchalantly.   
“Hurry up, Cas, you’re gonna’ miss the bus,” Dean shouted over at Castiel.  
“He’s even got a nickname for you,” She smiled at Castiel in a non-mocking, affectionate way. Castiel felt slightly uneasy on the subject and merely nodded. “Good luck Castiel!” She called as he walked out the door. He could feel his cheeks burning up.   
“What was that about?” Meg asked, slowing down to catch up with her friend.  
“Nothing.” He muttered hurriedly, speeding up to meet up with the others.


	6. Something Fishy Swimming in Green Goo

“So what did you boys get up to over the weekend?” Meg smiled at Castiel as he sat down next to her in beliefs & values.   
“The Winchesters didn’t stay,” Castiel explained, pulling out his books for the lesson.  
“Shame…” Meg followed suit. “I bet Gabriel was disappointed.”  
Castiel smiled.   
“Yes, he was.”   
Professor Uriel entered and the classroom was hushed.   
“I hope you all managed to get your assignments done for today. I will be collecting them now.” He announced, walking to the front of the classroom and gesturing to his desk. Castiel froze up. In light of the Winchesters staying and his confusing feelings for Dean, he had completely forgotten to finish his assignment. He gulped as a slither of ice dissipated to the bottom of his stomach.   
“Shit…” Cursed Meg under her breath, more at ease with late work than Castiel. She looked over at him and frowned with concern. “You okay?”   
“I forgot about it.” He said simply, shaking slightly as he stood up.  
“Don’t sweat it, Cassie,” Meg said nonchalantly, grinning, “It’s the first time you’ve forgotten work and I think you’re in the prof’s good books anyway.”   
Castiel nodded at himself defiantly.  
“Yes, you’re right,” He muttered, letting out a shaky breath, “It’ll be fine.”  
He joined the back of the line leading up the Uriel’s desk with Meg. He was running a million miles a minute in his mind trying to find an acceptable excuse or explanation to give his teacher before he reached the desk. Without his realising, he was suddenly at the front, without a paper in his hand.   
“Where is your assignment, Castiel?” The teacher asked commandingly.   
“I…didn’t….I…” Stuttered Castiel, squeezing his eyes shut to clear his head. “I’m sorry Professor.” He managed. “I’ve had a lot of things to deal with at home and wasn’t able to complete the assignment.” He let out another nervous breath. “I can finish it tonight and hand it in tomorrow.”   
Professor Uriel shook his head at Castiel.   
“I’m disappointed, Novak. I expected better from someone of your family. Sit down.”   
Castiel gulped and walked to the back of the classroom, sitting down. He could hear his chair trembling as his body shook. He froze as soon as Meg reached Professor Uriel.  
“This is the last time I will put up with your lazy work ethic, young lady!” He was shouting at Meg. “I am contacting your parents about this! Now go and join your partner in crime over there! Get out of my sight.”   
Meg turned and powerwalked to take a seat next to Castiel. Her eyes were wide and she had irregular breathing.  
“On behalf of the sheer number of late assignments,” Uriel began, standing at centre at the front, “I’d like you all to write an essay of at least two pages explaining how important it is to hand in work, especially in this unit of the subject.”   
Meg shot Castiel a look. It was one they often used in Dr Zachariah’s classes, where they were absolutely forbidden to talk to one another. It read ‘We need to talk after class’. Castiel nodded in response and they silently scribbled their essays until the end of the period.

“Well, I have no idea what the hell the professor was on just then.” Meg concluded when they were well out of the way of the classroom. “He has never gotten that angry before, and never been that harsh on you.”  
“Perhaps something has happened to him to make him especially upset today.” Castiel suggested reasonably. Meg chuckled darkly as they entered the lunch hall.  
“Probably on his period or something.” She muttered.

“How was your weekend, Sam?” Castiel asked, sitting next to the Winchester on the bench. He grunted.   
“Boring, uneventful and irritating.” He said dejectedly. “I studied for most of it.”   
“What about Dean?” Anna slid him a row of chocolate she had. He took it gratefully.  
“He was out playing football with some of his friends.” He replied bitterly. Castiel felt another pang of jealousy and took a bite out of his burger as he saw Dean approach.   
“Hey y’all,” he called, sitting next to Anna on the opposite side of the table, “What’s the ‘do?”   
Meg raised her eyebrows at him.   
“Since when do you talk like a cowgirl?” She replied.   
“Dr Medatron was really grumpy today…” Sam muttered, picking at his lunch.   
“So was Mademoiselle Naomi,” Agreed Gabriel who had just joined the table. "Well, more than usual."  
“Coach Walker was a dick,” Dean added. Meg and Castiel stopped eating and looked up.   
“You too?” Anna asked them.  
“Professor Uriel scolded me and yelled at Meg,” Castiel explained. The table was quiet.   
“Well, as weird as this sounds, it seems to be systematic.” Anna explained.  
“What is?” Dean asked, taking a massive bite out of his sandwich.   
“The anger.” Anna explained matter-of-factly. She was met with blank expressions. She sighed. “Okay, so, Gabe,” She turned to Gabriel, “You had French first thing this morning, right?”   
Gabriel nodded.   
“Dean, you had PE second period?”   
He nodded.   
“Sam, you have English Lit. third?”   
He nodded broodingly into his salad.   
“And Cassie, beliefs and values just then?”   
Castiel nodded with realization.   
“It’s like it’s working its way through the teachers…” Meg said distantly.   
“That’s crazy talk, anger can’t travel,” Dean said with his mouth full, frowning at Meg. Sam shrugged.   
“I’d like you to come up with a better explanation, Dean,” He said rationally. Dean froze in mid-chew for a moment before shaking his head and continuing.   
“I’ve got nothing,” He concluded, his mouth still full. Suddenly, a shriek ripped through the room.   
“Eew!” Screeched one of the more popular blondes in Castiel’s year. She had a leg cocked up so she could inspect the bottom of her high heel.   
“What is it?” Asked one of her friends, Castiel thought her name was Ruby.   
“I’ve got this weird green shit stuck to the bottom of my shoe!” She cried, limping over to her friends.   
“Dude…” Gabriel said, as he saw the stuff on the girl’s shoe. “That goo was on Mademoiselle Naomi’s jacket.”   
“Come to think of it…” Meg muttered, frowning at the heel, “I think professor Uriel had something that looked like that on his earlobe when he was yelling at me…”  
“Interesting.” Castiel muttered and then frowned as he felt Sam stiffened next to him. Both the Winchesters had straightened their postures and were very alert.   
“Everything okay?” Anna asked.   
“Would it be okay if we were to stay at your house again tonight?” Sam asked.


	7. Like Father, Like Sons

“Please explain to me again this absurd predicament?” Balthazar stood at the head of the dinner table, hand on his hips, with the other Novaks either side him. Dean and Sam were standing tall at the bottom of the table, pleading looks on their faces.  
“We know it sounds mad-“ Sam started again.  
“Understatement.” Gabriel butted in.  
“But,” Dean continued, “We were raised in this sort of thing. We know the signs.”  
“Of a vengeful spirit?!” Anna spat. “That’s absolutely ridiculous!”  
“Well, how else do you want to explain it?” Sam asked in a wanting voice.  
“Well, maybe with a bit more sense!” Cried Balthazar.  
“Trust me, we’d love ‘a bit more sense’ in our lives,” Dean emphasised Balthazar’s comment by illustrating quotation marks around it, “But we don’t have it. We can’t have it. Our dad is out there right now dealing with something like this, and we’ve been doing it with him since we could hold a gun. We know the signs of this sort of thing.”  
“We know it’s hard for you to understand, we really do,” Sam encouraged, “But we need your help if we’re going to deal with this spirit. People might get hurt if we ignore it and move on.”  
The family was quiet, thinking about this statement. Suddenly, Anna shook her head.  
“No, this is too much. This is mental! You’re insane!”  
“What makes it so hard for you to believe?” Castiel asked suddenly. The family all turned to him, making him shrink back a little. He looked to the Winchesters. They were looking at him hopefully. He felt himself swell a little and straightened up again. Anna frowned at her brother.  
“Well, I can’t touch it or feel it and…ghosts…it’s just illogical!” She cried in justification. Castiel shrugged.  
“Absurd, ridiculous, insane, illogical, yes. But so is our religion.” He continued boldly. Gabriel frowned.  
“How do you mean?”  
Dean snorted, but Sam punched his arm to stop him. The family ignored him.  
“You believe in angels, yes?” He asked them. They nodded. “And God, and Jesus?”  
“Obviously.” Balthazar stated.  
“Have you ever seen or touched an angel? I’m sure some people think believing in a God is silly or irrational.” Castiel began to feel self-conscious again. He wasn’t used to standing up to anyone and hated going against his family. But the way the Winchesters had gotten so afraid in the lunch area, and Dean’s pleading disposition…  
“I guess I’m willing to suspend my disbelief for a night.” Gabriel piped up. Everyone looked to him and he shuffled over to Castiel. “Maybe if the Winchesters can provide some sort of proof about the whereabouts of a…” he paused, coughed and continued. “…ghost.”  
“It’s a ‘vengeful spirit’,” Sam corrected, but with a hopeful intent, “And I think there is a way to work out what’s going on.”  
Dean frowned at his brother and Anna looked torn as Balthazar raised his eyebrows reasonably at her.  
“Fine.” She stated reluctantly.   
“Great!” Sam said, suddenly bustling with energy that surprised his brother as well as everyone else. “If we can gain access to the school’s security system, then we can watch what happened to the teachers and we might be able to work out what’s tying the spirit to the school.”  
“Come again?” Gabriel asked.  
“Every spirit has some sort of tie to the physical world,” Dean explained as Sam pulled his laptop out of his bag, “Like bones, a locket of hair, anything that belonged to them…”  
Anna scoffed but was shunned with frowns from the family  
“And how do you plan on gaining access to a high school’s security cameras?” Balthazar asked disbelievingly, turning away from Anna. Dean nodded to his left where his brother was signing into his laptop.  
“My brothers’ a nerd,” He said nonchalantly but with a hint of pride.  
Sam looked up and glared at his brother.  
“I met this girl called Charlie a little while ago who taught me how to do this sort of thing.” He explained. Gabriel stiffened next to Castiel. Balthazar sighed.  
“Well, I suppose if we are going to do this, we should do it properly.” He looked around at everyone. “I suggest we go in pairs and take shifts. We can take a look at today’s footage together, because that’s a bit of job, but then I suppose we should take a look at what goes ‘bump’ in the night.”  
“Yeah, that’s a good idea,” Agreed Sam.  
“Right, Anna with me first shift, then Castiel with Dean and then Gabriel with Sam. Fair?” Balthazar said, indicating to the pairs. Castiel felt his throat tighten nervously at the idea of spending hours alone with Dean at night.  
“Fair.” Anna said irritably.  
“Age before beauty.” Dean said, a sly smile playing on his face. He looked over to Castiel who had turned his back on the group. He was busily sifting through the cupboard, under the alias of trying to find something substantial and easy for dinner, but really trying to hide the redness and sweat playing on his features.

Having had no success with the afternoon’s footage, everyone except Balthazar and Anna had gone to bed. They stayed up to complete their shift until 1am.  
Anna shook Castiel awake before she went to bed. He groaned and rolled over, rubbing his eyes and momentarily forgetting why he needed to be up at that time. As soon as he remembered, he froze. Nervousness flowed through him as he slowly sat up in his bed and walked quietly towards to the staircase.  
Dean’s vibrating phone woke him at the designated time. He sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed his face, trying to wipe away the fatigue that was settling on him. He ran a hand through his hair and got up off his bed slowly, trying not to let his bedsprings creak. He tiptoed around where Sam was sound asleep and opened the door cautiously. He walked towards the bottom of the staircase where he ran into Castiel in the dark.  
“Hello, Dean,” Castiel said, steadying him as best he could. He tried his best to ignore the fact that Dean hadn’t bothered to put a shirt on and he was grabbing at his bare shoulders.  
“Hey, Cas.” He replied. “Thanks.” He added, regaining his balance.  
“Do you know your way to the lounge room?” Castiel asked, shifting around Dean in the tight space the entrance hallway afforded. He gulped as he felt his temperature rise.  
“No, I hardly know my way to our room let alone there.” Dean replied, feeling completely disorientated.   
Castiel chuckled.  
“Okay,” He replied, shuffling down the hallway. Dean followed as best he could but lost him at some point.  
“Umm…Cas?”  
A dim light appeared in front of him and he followed it into the kitchen. Castiel had two mugs out and was shovelling coffee into them, the kettle making a soft, bubbling sound on his left. Dean sat at the table. He shifted in the cold seat and squinted at the light.  
“Definitely not an early riser, are you?” Castiel asked, placing a steaming mug in front of him. Dean shook his head drowsily. “The lounge room is just behind you.” Castiel nodded towards a door behind Dean.  
“Laptop hooked up in there?” He asked, his voice still thick from fatigue. Castiel nodded, turning on the light in the room. Dean took a gulp from his cup.  
“There in a minute.” Dean said falteringly. “Let me just…adjust…” He rested his head on the cool, plastic covering on the table. Castiel raised an eyebrow and sipped the bitter coffee. He grimaced. He’d never been a fan of coffee, considering it an acquired taste. He sat down on one of the couches and booted up the laptop. He could feel the realisation of a long night laying heavily on his eyelids, forgetting his awkwardness and nervousness for a moment as he waited for the caffeine to take effect.


	8. A Night to Remember

Dean crashed down on the couch next to Castiel. He was still tired, but the coffee had widened his eyes and heightened his senses.   
“What are we looking at?” He asked, his voice croaky from a combination of his tiredness and the lactose in the milk. Castiel frowned at the computer.  
“It looks like Sam has set it up full screen for alternating cameras around the school.” Sure enough, as soon as he observed this, the screen flicked to the exterior of the school’s gym.   
“Aha,” Dean closed his eyes and laid his head back on the couch, “What do we do if we see anything?”  
Castiel pressed a button on the keyboard, making Dean open one eye as the screen separated into nine separate squares and, on the press of another button, into a different nine altogether.   
“You can zoom in as well if you need to.” He added, clicking on one of the screens. It blew up on the monitor. “Your brother is really intelligent to have been able to set this all up.”   
Dean chuckled.  
“Smarter than me, that’s for sure.”   
Castiel frowned.  
“Why do you say that?”   
Dean looked over at him and sat up. He ran a hand through his already dishevelled hair and made it stick up even more. Castiel tried not to think about how it made him look even more attractive coupled with his tired squint.   
“He’s the A student, I can hardly scrape a B if I try really hard,” He shook his head at the laptop, “Which is rare.”   
Castiel frowned.   
“You’re in Extended English…”   
Dean shrugged.  
“I don’t know how that happened.”   
He looked over at Castiel and chuckled. Castiel’s frown deepened.  
“What?”  
“You frown a lot,” Dean said, and looked suddenly awkward and forward at the laptop. Castiel coughed and did the same.   
“You seem to be more street smart than book smart.” He said, hopefully.   
“Yeah, I guess so.” Dean half-smiled. “You seem more people smart than art’s smart.”   
Castiel smiled a little.   
“Maybe,” He closed his eyes, “If I could string a coherent sentence together with people.”   
Dean frowned.   
“You’re okay with us,” He pursed his lips before adding, “And me.”   
Castiel chuckled darkly.   
“First time I met you, you probably thought I was an idiot.”   
Dean raised his eyebrows.  
“Maybe, but I was wrong.” He smiled.   
Castiel was momentarily surprised at the compliment and Dean’s genuine smile.  
“T-th-thanks…” He stuttered. Dean chuckled.  
“No problem.”

As the first half hour passed, the boys struggled to keep awake. The comfortable silence between them was strained with concentration of forcing their eyelids from dropping and the forever-flickering laptop screen. Castiel was finally feeling the caffeine affect his body and Dean was getting used to staying awake. They were beginning to feel the silence between them. Castiel struggled to think of a conversational sentence. Dean was suspecting the next two and a half hours were going to be a boring, waste of time that could have be spent dreaming.   
“So how does your dad know about this supernatural stuff?” Castiel asked suddenly. Dean immediately looked uncomfortable. “If you don’t mind me asking…” Castiel added hastily. Dean shrugged and was quiet for a moment.  
“A long time ago, when I was about four, my mum died,” He pursed his lips before continuing, “And it was because of a supernatural entity. So my dad became obsessed with getting revenge and killing any evil son of a bitch that got in his way.”  
Castiel shifted uncomfortably and avoided eye contact with Dean.  
“That must have been very difficult for you…” He offered.   
“Mmm… Sammy was only a baby when it happened.”   
“You’re very protective of him.”  
Dean looked down, a withdrawn look to his face. He smiled after a moment and looked at Castiel.  
“You’re very protective of your family.”   
Castiel shrugged and looked away.   
“Sometimes I feel like I’m the only one who really tries to keep our family together…” He replied distantly. Dean frowned at him and waited for him to elaborate. Castiel swallowed and looked forward.   
“I suppose you could say my Father is forgiving and nurturing in some ways, but around me He is ruthless and cruel. I was always a disappointment to Him; the oldest male of the family who preferred reading alone in his bedroom while his brother and sister were out socialising…” He looked down at the floor. “My mum always stuck up for me,” He half-smiled, “She was so kind to me. I think it was because I reminded her of herself at my age.” His smile slowly dropped. “She was never very good at dealing with pressure and would often have some kind of panic attack after confronting my Father.” His eyes darkened as he stared angrily forward. “I guess one night she couldn’t take it anymore because the next morning she was gone. No explanation or letter; nothing except a book of hers that she wrote my name in and left in my bedroom.” He swallowed and tilted his head in Dean’s direction, his eyes dropping to the floor again. “Sometimes I wish she’d woken me up so I could say ‘good bye’, you understand?” His eyes suddenly flicked up to meet Dean’s. Dean looked away, not realising he had been staring at Castiel during his explanation. Sensing Dean’s awkwardness, Castiel suddenly felt embarrassed for bringing up the delicate subject. He stared stubbornly at the laptop. “I apologise. I didn’t mean to go into so much detail.”  
Dean frowned.   
“You don’t need to apologise, man.”   
Castiel clenched his fists as he tried to stop the wave of nausea that ripped through him when he thought of his mother leaving. The fact he was responsible for Dean’s discomfort didn’t calm the ripple.   
“Yes I do, I made you feel uncomfortable.”   
The two were quiet and stared at the laptop monitor. Dean looked over at Castiel occasionally, and then down at his balled, white knuckles, and then back to the screen. He pursed his lips.  
“I think you take too much responsibility for other people, Cas.”  
Tiny creases above Castiel’s eyes appeared as he reflected on this.   
“Is it a bad thing?” He asked after a moment. His expression, directed to the laptop, did not change.  
“Could be if you let it get to you too much.” Dean answered, assessing Castiel’s face.   
“How can you stop that?” Castiel met Dean’s gaze. Dean smirked.   
“You’re asking the wrong person.” His eyes flicked to the floor, but his head remained facing Castiel. He chuckled and broke into a grin. “It’s funny how we’ve both got dicks for fathers.”   
“To put it lightly.” Castiel agreed, smiling a little himself. Dean straightened up and shook his head.  
“I feel like a chick talking like this…” He sniggered. Castiel frowned.   
“I don’t see how talking about our backgrounds makes us any more feminine.”   
“Yeah, I suppose not.” Dean continued smiling.

The two were quiet after that, comfortable in the silence but battling to eliminate the fatigue settling into them. At some point during the night, Castiel didn’t seem able to keep a strong fortress because he fell asleep. Dean chuckled when he looked over at him and his eyes were shut and his head was lolling back. He had expected himself to give in and Castiel be the one to shake him awake.   
Dean had decided to leave Castiel to sleep and to concentrate on staying awake when Castiel’s body started to slide down the sofa as his muscles relaxed into a deep slumber. He was moving quickly and his neck was aiming to land on Dean’s shoulder. Dean gently stopped the forearm closest to him from moving to prevent Castiel being woken up. He gradually let the pressure in his elbow go and allowed Castiel’s face to rest on his shoulder.   
He was surprised with how much more comfortable he felt now that there wasn’t so much of a gap between them. Weird, Dean thought, quickly surveying the cafeteria area on the laptop, never thought I’d get this with a dude.   
Dean noticed that Castiel looked his genuine age when he was sleeping. His face was relaxed from its normally creased appearance that made him look five years older and his messy, dark brown hair gave him an innocent, boyish look. The thought pained Dean a little, because he was not innocent or boyish. He was forced to grow up early and look after his family; mature early and get the best possible grades he could get so he could support his family while his Father was away doing God knows what. He was like Dean, who did his best to look after Sammy and give him the childhood he deserved while John was out hunting.  
The similarity struck Dean a second time. Sam was quick to pick it up the first, he thought, but now it felt different and more personal, the strike echoing deep into his chest cavity and stomach. He suddenly felt protective of Castiel because Dean had the power to life part of the weight off his shoulders if he wanted to. And he did.  
Slowly and carefully, Dean shifted the arm Castiel was leaning on upwards. Castiel’s chin dug into Dean’s collarbone as he gently rested his arm around Castiel’s back. He curled his hand around to rest on his long-sleeved shirt. Dean gulped and thought about how he might be abusing Castiel’s trust.  
But as he became accustomed to the slow and steady tickle on his neck from Castiel’s breathing, he began to relax and sink into the sofa, bringing Castiel closer towards him. The warmth he exuded into his bare chest settled Dean’s mind and made him feel at peace for the first time in a long time.  
“Got you, buddy.” He whispered quietly into Castiel’s hair.


	9. Taking One for the Team

"Are you sure it wasn't a glitch in the camera?"  
Everyone sighed with annoyance at Anna's silly question. She was still reluctant to believe what Sam and Gabriel had been explaining to her. She rolled her eyes and shrugged.

"What are you planning on doing with your newfound information?" Balthazar questioned the Winchester brothers sitting in front of him. Dean looked up and made a vague attempt to answer, but his words were muffled with his mouth full of the omelette Castiel had just cooked for him. Sam frowned at him before turning to Balthazar.

"We need to find a way to destroy the map," Sam explained.

"How do you usually do it?" Gabriel asked, sitting next to Sam.

"Burn it," Dean answered, his voice still deadened with a half-full mouth of food.

"Well that's very inconspicuous." Anna countered sarcastically.

"That's what we're trying to work around." Sam muttered, putting his empty plate in the sink.

"Here you are, Gabriel," Castiel had walked in from the hallway and was handing Gabriel a packed lunch.

"Gabes, we're leaving in five minutes!" Anna said, standing from across the table, "Get dressed!"

 

Meg had missed the school bus in the morning, so the Novaks and Winchesters were left to their own devices. They were all very quiet, deep in their own thoughts.

The popular people of the school threw taunts and sneers at Dean over the din of the school bus, but he had long since desensitised himself to them. All he could think of was ways of breaking the glass protecting the old map in Dr Zachariah's class without drawing any attention. For the hundredth time that morning, he lightly touched the pocket of his jeans to make sure his lighter was still there. He shivered at the thought of another day with angsty students and pissed off teachers. A slither of ice incarcerated his stomach as he thought of what the next stage of the possession would be. Determination seized him as he slipped his hand into his pocket and gripped onto the cool metal of the lighter. He needed to help the people at Z.Z. Riverhead; Meg, the Novaks, Sam, Castiel…  _Cas_. The ice melted in Dean's stomach and he relaxed again. He had unconsciously sat next to Castiel on the bus, a seat normally taken up by Gabriel or Anna, and he began to become aware of his presence. A peaceful, calming, intelligent atmosphere seemed to follow Castiel everywhere. It contrasted magnificently to the unpredictable, stubborn and cold persona that was his father's general air. Perhaps that was why he had been attracted to him in the first place; searching for a stable and relaxing personality. But the attraction was rooted deeper, as he had realised the night before. It was an attraction that forced him to feel the light brush of Castiel's shoulder every now and then as the bus went over a bump; appreciate the deep blue of his eyes as he stared out the window, the sun making them shimmer likening an ocean; his light, unique smell that Dean had grown accustomed to…

Meanwhile, Castiel was having thoughts of his own. A small part of him was nervous for the day ahead. He wasn't keen on visiting Professor Raphael's office again and he knew that would be the result if they were caught destroying the map. But a larger part of him was trying to recall the night's events, mulling it over in his mind and becoming increasingly confused. The last thing he could remember was venting to Dean about his family. He cringed at the thought of forcing his troubles on Dean at that time in the night. But he couldn't remember anything after that. He supposed he had fallen asleep shortly afterward because Dean had woken him when Sam and Gabriel's shift had started. The curious thing that he kept turning repeatedly in his mind was where he had woken up and how.

Castiel smiled cordially at Meg as he took his seat next to her in Dr Zachariah's class. He was determined not to let slip what they were planning on doing that afternoon after school. They had agreed it would be best to have the least amount of people involved as possible; it would be safer and more efficient. Meg half-smiled in return.

"Don't see why you're so cheerful this morning," She mused as he took out his books.

"Why wouldn't I be?" He asked, hurriedly going through his brain and trying to find a point where he may have slipped up. He cursed himself inwardly for screwing up so early on.

"Well, I don't know," Meg replied sarcastically, writing a title on her notebook page, "Maybe because we have Zachariah first period, it's a Wednesday morning and it's possible that he might be especially angry today like the other teachers."

Castiel frowned and considered, breathing a relieving breath upon realising he had not made a mistake.

"Yes, I suppose that would be good reason not to feel particularly happy."

Meg shook her head, and stared at the front as the teacher walked in. Castiel watched as he strolled past the world map dating back to the early 1900s. It was framed in a thick, black border behind a thin sheet of glass and it had once belonged to some ex-student of the school. According to Gabriel and Sam, he had been treated terribly by the teachers and humiliated by his peers because he had a learning disability. He had returned for revenge and the Winchesters figured the map was the object tying him to the physical world. But how to destroy it without being noticed…. Manipulating the camera film was easy enough for Sam to do, but what of people noticing them in the act? They locked up the building after 4pm, and you were in a dilemma if your school bag wasn't in the library. It was a building separate from the rest of the school that was open until 6pm. As for smashing the glass, they would have to find a hammer or something more inconspicuous…

"Castiel!" Dr Zachariah's yell broke Castiel's concentration. He whipped his head to the teacher.

"Yes, doctor?"

A sly grin crept across Dr Zachariah's face.

"Are you going to continue to stare into space like a dribbling lunatic or are you going to answer my question?" He said in a cold, emotionless monotone. Castiel gulped.

"I'm sorry, sir, I didn't hear your question." He could feel the colour draining from his face.

"I asked you who the president of America was in 1920, Castiel, now answer the question."  
The class was silent.

"When the school was first established, sir?" He questioned. Dr Zachariah's eye twitched.

"Yes, but maybe instead of displaying your  _obvious_  intelligence on that trivial subject," He finished in a voice dripping with angry sarcasm, "Perhaps you'd make it easier for me and those around us by getting  _straight to the point_."

Castiel gulped.

"Wo-Woodrow Wilson, sir." He stuttered immediately. Everyone knew the answer to that. " _Who was the president of the United States when Z.Z. Riverhead was first founded?"_  was a common question poised at school functions.

"Indeed," Dr Zachariah replied, turning away now to the white board, "Mr Wilson…"

He continued to dictate notes to the madly scribbling class. Castiel stole a glance at Meg's full page. He thought this was the first time  _he_  would be borrowing notes from  _her_.

 

Castiel leaned against Dr Zachariah's classroom door after the final bell had sounded for the end of school, knotting his fingers and creasing his brow with a mixture between nervousness, terror and anticipation. The three of them - himself, Dean, and Anna – had decided to meet there while Sam and Gabriel worked on manipulating the security cameras. Despite everything, Castiel allowed himself a small smile at the thought of Gabriel's pleading eyes made to his siblings when the opportunity presented itself for him to spend some time alone with Sam. Quickly, he relaxed his mouth as thoughts regarding his own thoughts for a particular Winchester began to breach the surface of his supressed feelings. Luckily, he did not have time to dwell on the uncomfortable subject as Anna rounded the corner. Her normally pale face was reddened from being flustered. Castiel's brow knotted with worry.

"Are you okay?" He asked, straightening off the support of the door and walking over to her. She was panting from running and had red rings around her eyes which suggested crying. As he approached, she grinned half-heartedly.

"Just got a mouthful from a possessed friend of my mine," She shook her head at him as she leant against a wall to catch her breath, "Nothing I can't handle."

"The ghost has begun to possess students now  _as well_?" Castiel asked exasperatedly. He could feel his body start to tremor as anxiety began to set its ugly foot in. Anna nodded feebly.

"Then we gotta' move," Dean had appeared near them, frowning at the door. Castiel sighed at the question poised in the air regarding it.

"It's locked." He said simply, feeling useless on behalf of the door.  
"Well that's just fucking peachy," Dean cursed under his breath, trying the door handle himself and rattling it incessantly. He looked the door up and down, clenching his jaw. "So much for being inconspicuous." He muttered.

"What do you mean?" Anna asked in a concerned voice. Castiel clenched his fists. The mission couldn't be spoilt now, especially only at the beginning. Dean turned around and shrugged.

"The only way to get this damn thing open is to-" He cut himself off by turning around and slamming his boot as close to the handle as he could, causing the door to swing open with a bang. Castiel and Anna both jolted and stood in shock as Dean charged into the room. "Which one is it, Cas?" His voice sounded distant. Castiel gulped and forced his legs into action, following Dean's footsteps into the classroom. He gestured to the ancient map and helped him pull it off the wall and lay it flat on the desk nearest them.

"What are we going to do about the glass?" Anna had walked in and was eyeing the frame irritably. Dean frowned and shrugged.

"Any ideas?" He questioned her. She suddenly shot him an annoyed look.

"I'm not really good at this 'making it up as we go along' thing!" She let out a maddened sigh. "I'm better at  _well-thought-out plans!_ "

"Look, I'm  _very_  sorry that this hasn't been a walk in the park for you," Dean shot back in an angry and sarcastic voice, "But ever since Sam and I asked for your help –  _politely_  too; we could have easily have forced you into it – you've been nothing but unbelieving and unhelpful."

"Well,  _excuse me_  for not buying your Supernatural bull crap right from the start!"

"It's happening right in front of you!"

"Please stop." Castiel's small voice carried above the loud voices. He was properly shaking now and upset. He was not used to his sister being angry and he didn't like the way Dean was talking to her either. He clenched his fist against a wave of panic that was erupting from inside him. Dean and Anna turned their heads around to face him, each softening their harsh facial expressions as they saw the pain riddled on his face.

"You're doing exactly what it wants, and you're not being quiet about it." His voice almost sounded commanding but caught in his throat suggesting it was not the only reason why. He'd never liked conflict. His eyes flicked behind the two of them to the back wall, looking for a solution to their problem. Inspiration struck as his gaze settled onto a familiar red instrument. "Since we've ruled out inconspicuousness…" He trailed off, walking around his companions and striding to the wall to unmount the fire extinguisher. He grunted in effort to carry the heavy object, instead leaning it on the bench under its mount and turning around. He looked to Anna. "I suggest you stand look out as this is going to be very loud."

Anna gave a curt nod before spinning on her heel to walk to the door. Castiel half lifted, half dragged the extinguisher over to where Dean was setting up the frame for him to shatter.

"Ready?" Dean asked as soon as Castiel lifted it onto the desk. Castiel nodded and Dean braced his arms. Castiel took a sharp intake of breath and swung the fire extinguisher with all the strength he could muster into the frame. The sound of the glass shattering was deafening in the silent hallway and was made even more so when the fire extinguisher came rolling and clattering off the desk. Glass riddled the desk and floor around Castiel's feet. He looked to Dean who was staring wide-eyed at the door. Castiel suddenly became aware of loud voices at the entrance.

"… do you mean I can't enter my  _own room_?! Young lady, you step aside RIGHT NOW!" Zachariah's booming voice was traveling into the room. Castiel gulped and turned to Dean, meeting his eyes.

"Burn it, no matter what." He said shortly before turning around and joining his sister's side.

" _Two_  Novaks! I should've known it was your family." Zachariah's face was uglier than usual, ablaze with rage. "You lot are always up to no good! No wonder you father is so harsh on you."  
Castiel blinked back the insult and noticed the green goo oozing out of his ear. He crinkled his nose with disgust.

"Now get out of my way!" He shoved Anna back with a great force, knocking her into the damaged door hinges. She fell stumbled back into the classroom. Castiel suddenly felt intense anger welling up inside him from the sudden attack on his sister and quickly stepped in front of Zachariah.

"How dare you hurt my sister!" He said, his voice calm and steady but full of livid venom. Castiel heard the clink of Dean's lighter behind him.

"You'll be next if you don't let me into my room." Zachariah's eyes were fuming and his face was contorted into an ugly sneer.

Castiel countered, feeling courage from his anger, " _Nobody_ is allowed to hurt my family."

He took a step forward to compensate for the noise of flames greedily lighting up paper behind him and facing off with his teacher.

"You Novaks, always defying orders…" Zachariah glared intensely into Castiel's eyes, equalled fury kindled.

"This isn't a military camp, this is a high school." Castiel's knuckles were white in his balled fists.

"Same thing." Zachariah countered, suddenly grabbing Castiel's lapels and beginning to shove him aside.

"Dr Zachariah, unhand that student!" A light, aghast voice shook the air. Zachariah quickly dropped Castiel's coat and spun his head down the hallway to an angry looking Miss Terrace striding quickly over to them. Castiel jumped as he felt a hand on his back but calmed as Dean stood next to him.

"It's done." He whispered, and Castiel observed the green substance retreating back into Zachariah's ear. He let a deep sigh and felt his anger leave him.

"Umm… Dawn… er, Miss Terrace, what a coin-"

"Shut up Zach. What the hell were you just doing?"

Castiel did his best look at helpless to endorse Miss Terraces' motherly instinct.

"The kids were trespassing! Look what they did to my door-" He began to say, but was instantly cut off.

"And I'm sure they have a good reason for it. Did you not think to ask them before resulting to violence?" Her face was livid and Castiel could hear Anna supressing a laugh behind him. Zachariah gulped.

"Well…Surely they could've told m-" Again, Zachariah was cut off by Miss Terrace's rage.

"From what I just saw, Zach, they were probably too scared to even try to explain themselves. These are good kids!" She gestured to them now. "Don't you think they have a right to explain themselves?"

Zachariah turned to the students and glared at them.

"Yes, I guess they can explain themselves  _now_."

Castiel gulped as he saw the beginnings of a proud smirk on his lips.

"Good, then you can leave." Miss Terrace replied dismissively and then, at an incredulous look from Zachariah, added, "We can't have you being here affect their certainty at telling the truth now, can we?"

She smiled sweetly at him. Zachariah rolled his eyes and began to walk away, muttering under his breath "…English teachers…think they know how to construct a good argument…using her feminine charm…"

As he walked around the corner, Miss Terrace turned to her students.

"Now that Zachariah is gone, what exactly  _are_  you doing here? And why do you both have glass on you?" She shot Dean and Castiel a confused look as they looked down at their clothes, brushing off the debris from the frame.

"Uh…ummm…" Castiel stuttered, trying to think of a good response.

"We were borrowing one of the maps in the classroom for a project," Anna suddenly piped up behind them, "And we dropped the frame by accident."

Miss Terrace cocked an eyebrow.

"Mhmm, and what exactly happened to the door in all of this?"

The friends looked to the bent hinges and Dean pursed his lips.

"We kind of forced it open trying to get in," He explained slowly, "The locks here are really stingy." He grinned and shrugged. Miss Terrace shook her head and sighed.

"Whatever, just clean up whatever mess you left before you go." She began to walk away, but as Castiel turned to walk into the room with the others, she grabbed his shoulder. "Are you okay?" She asked tenderly. Castiel nodded. "Don't worry," She added, "I'm taking this to someone less corrupt than Raphael."

Castiel smiled in return before walking into the classroom to help his companions.


	10. A Problematic Happy Ending

Castiel flinched as Gabriel’s hand came down strong and hard onto his backpack.

“Well done, big brother,” He was grinning at him as they trudged up the dirt path outside the pick-up zone, “Didn’t think you had it in you. I know I didn’t.”

“Thank you, Gabriel,” He said simply, feeling shaken by the previous course of events. He thanked his body nonetheless for only kicking in now; getting hit by a shock wave of nerves at the moment when he needed his strength the most would’ve been disastrous. He glanced over his shoulder as the others followed not far behind them. “How will we fit everyone in the Balthazar’s car?” He wondered aloud, as they rounded the corner to the pick-up zone. “One person will have to go without.”

“Maybe two people should just walk home together.” Gabriel suggested, sounding hopeful. A small smile played on Castiel’s face.

“You and Sam?” He questioned mockingly. His brother’s cheeks went slightly pink.

“Well, ummm, yeah, I-“  
“You really like him?” Castiel teased. His brother’s cheeks turned a deeper shade of red.

“Is it that obvious?” He asked, stuttering. Castiel’s warm smile grew wider.

“Yes, it’s quite clear.” He lightly patted his shoulder. “But if it’s any consolation, it seems Sam might somewhat reciprocate.”

Gabriel looked at his brother grinning from ear to ear, eyes wide with hope.

“You actually think he does?”   
Castiel shrugged.

“Maybe you should find out on the walk.” He offered, but was quiet when the others caught up. At that moment, Balthazar’s Chevrolet pulled up alongside them, his brow creased with suspicious anxiety.

“How did it go?” He asked quickly, eyebrows arched. He was met with smiles and immediately relaxed. “Good.” He paused and frowned. “I’m not going to be able to fit you all in my car. Someone is going to have to walk.”

“I don’t mind walking,” Sam said, “And I could do with the exercise after sitting in those computer labs for so long.”

“Yeah, me too,” Gabriel replied immediately, “I’ll join you so you know where to go.”

Sam smiled in return and nodded. Balthazar rolled his eyes.

“Whatever,” He said, revving the engine, “Whoever is coming, get in.”

 

The Novaks couldn’t remember the last time they had a celebration, or a reason to host one. Balthazar relieved Castiel of cooking duties to make his signature lasagne - the only meal he could actually cook. Anna managed to sneak her CD of the Les Misèrables soundtrack without her brothers noticing. Most of the time, Gabriel would complain about it but this night, he kept quiet, and let himself enjoy it.  The lounge room was full of laughter and grinning; everyone was happy in the orange light.

Castiel gathered up the dirty dishes and walked into the dark kitchen, tailed by Gabriel who seemed the jolliest out of the company.

“I’ll give you a hand,” He offered, picking up a tea towel hanging from the oven door under the drying rack.

“Thanks.” Castiel replied, running the hot tap. They were quiet as they worked, both with a permanent small smile. “It’s nice to have happy guests, isn’t it?” Castiel said finally. Gabriel grinned.

“Yeah, it’s seems warmer somehow…”

Castiel frowned at the odd statement.

“I suppose I understand,” He looked quizzically at his brother, “You still have your jacket on.” He pointed out, as he handed a dripping dinner plate to him.

“So I do!” Gabriel exclaimed, shrugging it off and hanging it over a chair behind him. Castiel paused from his scrubbing as he observed his brother’s exposed collarbone, frowning in a surprised manner.

“Gabriel…” He said in a conversational tone.

“Yeah?” Gabriel answered, straightening up and raising his eyebrows at his brother’s facial expression.

“Is that…a _love bite_?!” He asked in an accusing tone, pointing at the red splodge previously covered by the collar of Gabriel’s jacket. His cheeks immediately went bright red.

“What?! No! No, it’s just…ummm…” He started, stumbling over his words. Castiel raised his eyebrows in a disbelieving expression. A chuckle came from the doorway.

“That is totally a hickey.” Dean’s voice filtered through Gabriel’s nervous stuttering. The trio were silent for a moment, listening to the Sam telling Anna a story about the original Les Misèrables story; they seemed to be waiting for something unknown. Castiel’s smile suddenly grew wider and he could feel his body beginning to shudder as he supressed a snigger. He hadn’t laughed for a very long time so it was a surprise to hear himself chuckle. Gabriel’s confusion at his reaction was obvious on his face.

“Good for you Gabriel.” Castiel said fondly to his brother after he had calmed down. Relief flooded Gabriel and he flashed a thankful grin.

“I’m going to get back to the others,” He explained, nodding at Dean before entering the brightly lit lounge room. Castiel put the last clean and dried plate in a cupboard above his head before turning to Dean.

Castiel was yelling all of the questions he wanted to ask him inside his head but, at the same time, couldn’t for the life of him hear himself think. For now, he contented himself to attempt small talk with Dean until he could find some excuse out of the noise and laughter because, if he was honest with himself, he was beginning to feel slightly anxious at the sudden happiness afforded him.

“Getting pretty noisy in there, isn’t it?” Dean asked, as if reading his thoughts. Gabriel’s dominating voice had just finished the punch line to a joke and there was an uproar of laughter booming through the open doorway.

“Yes.” He answered, and feeling guilty for his negativity towards the general joyous atmosphere, added, “It’s good to hear everyone enjoy themselves.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Dean answered. Castiel made eye contact and realised that Dean could tell that he was agitated. He chided himself for acting so selfishly while everyone else had the right to be happy.

“I’m sorry, I hope I didn’t ruin your cheerful mood.” He said in a rushed, reserved statement. Dean shrugged.

“I wasn’t exactly as ecstatic as everyone else,” He half-smiled, “’Bout the same as you actually.”

Castiel looked down and studied the floor tiles, feeling awkward at Dean’s stare. Dean looked over his shoulder and smiled at Anna who was grinning at him from across the room. She looked over at Sam again and Dean looked back to Castiel.

“Do you want to get out?” Dean asked, making Castiel look up.

“For a walk?” Castiel suggested. Dean nodded. Though the thought of being alone with Dean was rather unnerving, Castiel couldn’t deny his questions for much longer. “Sure.”

 

The chilly night air bit at Castiel as he zipped up his jacket. The duo were silent, pacing the well-kept pavements of the neighbourhood. Dean tried not to feel threatened by the massive, black silhouettes of the expensive houses looming over him as they walked. Absentmindedly, he began to walk closer to Castiel, unsure of their direction and their safety. Castiel was oblivious to his feelings, determined to stare ahead and reach his destination. He was suddenly brought out of his focus when Dean spoke.

“Uh, Cas,” He raised his eyebrows at his friend, “Where are we going?”

“To a park not far from here.” He nodded in the general direction he was headed. “It’s very peaceful at night and good for talking.”

_Damn it_ , Castiel blurted in his mind, _I’ve said too much_. Regardless of his negative thoughts, his feet didn’t skip a beat as they walked. In fact, he was glad he had mentioned the discussing he wanted to do; it seemed to break some form of awkward, unsure atmosphere that had been accumulated as soon as they were alone together in the kitchen.

Dean was glad it was dark and Castiel could only see black and white in the light of the street lights. He could feel himself blushing when he realised that Castiel knew something had changed between them, and at the thought of his actions. His mind began racing with excuses and explanations for the night before, but the same card kept turning up, setting Dean’s teeth on edge. _Tell him the truth._

 

Castiel was right; Black Smith’s park was a tranquil setting in the night time, complete with crickets chirping and frogs croaking by the small lake it was situated next to. Even in his nervous state of mind, Dean appreciated the crisp, grassy air as they came to a stop by a mid-height, grey wall overlooking the water.

Castiel was battling to grab hold of his fleeting thoughts and start the conversation, and Dean was waiting for the shit to hit the fan. He’d never been so nervous about his feelings before, a subject he generally preferred to keep hidden deep in his mind and leave for _Sam_ and _girls_ to discuss. But this was big for him; he was willing to _commit_ to a _relationship_ instead of just having a bit of fun with his staple pick of popular cheerleader. It didn’t matter how many times he went over it, he always felt the same _need_ to protect Castiel, but it was a different, more intimate emotion than for his family need to safeguard Sam. But for all this to happen, Castiel had to reciprocate, and that was a long shot for Dean. He cleared his throat and Castiel looked over at him. _Those damn blue eyes_ , Dean caught himself thinking, hastily focusing on the water and not at his friend’s face.

“You wanted to talk.” He said shortly. He sensed Castiel nod in his peripheral vision. “I think it’s a good idea.”

“I wanted to… address certain issues I’ve realised have… sprung between the two of us.” Castiel had no idea what he was saying. _This is all so confusing!_ was a broken record in his head, and wouldn’t be quiet when he tried to break the needle. Dean heard the uncertainty in his voice.

“You’ve never done this before, have you?” He said in a reasonable, straight-forward voice he’d never heard himself use before. Castiel hoped they were talking about the same thing as he spoke.

“Is it that obvious?” He sighed as he realised his younger brother had said the same statement only hours before. Gabriel, who seemed able to sail through life and its complexities with nowhere near as much hassle as Castiel. He envied him and hated himself for making everything so complicated. He had been so focused on this internal deliberation that he only just realised Dean was chuckling. It make Castiel a little annoyed he wasn’t taking the situation seriously.

“What?” He asked impatiently. _He’s probably laughing at my naivety,_ he thought, _to think I’d ever have a chance with Dean Winchester_. He clenched his fists to vaporise the cold thoughts that seemed to be freezing over his brain more often than they used. It was harder every day to break the ice.

Dean had stopped chuckling immediately.

“Sorry dude,” He shrugged, “I just find it really hard to believe.”

Castiel frowned deeply, huge lines overhanging his eyes as his head began to tilt.

“Why?”

Dean looked at him now and Castiel was sure he could see a fond smile creeping over his lips. _Stop looking at this lips_ , he commanded himself, snapping back to his green eyes.

“Come on dude,” Dean was grinning now, “You’re every smart chick’s dream!”

Castiel shook his head.

“No one in their right mind would even think to dream of me.” He replied in a tone so matter-of-factly that Dean’s stomach sunk to rock bottom. Castiel’s face even brightened from his confused creases, as if he were glad he’d cleared up the issue that he thought Dean was mulling over and could move on. As if the un-confidence was something he was so used to, it was easier to manage than question.

It was all too close to home, and Dean felt like he’d been stabbed in the gut by the blue-eye, wonder brother, and suddenly he blurted it out.

“Cas, if only you could see yourself the way we see you.”

“Who sees me, Dean?” His tone just as confused as before.

“Your family, Cas! Your mum, Gabriel, Anna, Balthazar even! Sammy!” He paused for a beat before shooting Castiel his own penetrating stare. “How _I_ see you Cas.”

It’d all come out of him without a tap to stop the flow, but Dean couldn’t seem to care less. He could feel his face had contorted into a weak, emotional and pleading thing he wasn’t used to and didn’t like. He wasn’t bothered by it if it made Castiel understand. He felt like he’d just destroyed a brick wall around his mind where he kept his ‘Thoughts Involving Castiel Novak’, and he wanted Castiel to see the rubble.

Meanwhile, Castiel’s eyes had widened, and he gulped. All he could think of was that he had made Dean vulnerable by his own stupidity. It was his own fault for seeming like a spoilt, attention seeking child and he’d forced Dean’s feelings out of him. He felt like a jerk, and hung his head, hating to see Dean’s imploring green eyes lie on account of a mental tantrum. He sighed, and a wave of nausea rippled through his body.

Dean saw the whole thing and the knife wound stung. He knew he’d have to spell it out for his friend, and he was willing.

“Castiel, listen to me.” He said in a soft but stern voice. Castiel’s eyes dragged themselves up to his, startled at the use of his full name. “I know you find it hard to believe, but most of the stuff you blame yourself for isn’t your fault. Your Father’s anger and your mum leaving - none of that is your fault. You may _think_ you have to look after your family by yourself and shoulder every blame thrown at you, both from other people and yourself, but you _don’t_. That’s what families are for, to look after _each other,_ not for just one person to do the work. Every little tragedy that happens at your home is _not_ your fault. And guess what, the fact you woke up early this morning lying on me wasn’t your fault either, and isn’t something _you_ need to be embarrassed about.”

Castiel choked on saliva. He hadn’t expected that last comment.

“That was my fault.” Dean confessed, and the original confident and inspirational tone was replaced with guilt and confession. “You fell asleep and I let you, um… sleep on me.” He breathed out an embarrassed sigh as he realised the implications of his act. Castiel frowned and turned away from Dean, leaning on the cool, moist stones of the wall. Dean let his last line sink in and made no attempt to break the silence that was forming.

Castiel’s breathing had become shallower, but he recognised it was more from excitement than stress. Somehow, he’d finally come up with an answer for the whole situation that made sense and he didn’t dread. Somehow, Dean had just confessed he had deeper rooted feelings than Castiel had given him credit for.

“I’m glad you told me that, Dean.” Dean’s eyes dropped to the ground in shame before Castiel continued. He was finding it hard to find the right words. “Your feelings make me… happy.”

Dean looked up and frowned.

“Happy?” He repeated, his confusion evident in his voice. Castiel turned around to face Dean.

“Yes,” And, to prove his point further he added, “I reciprocate.”

Dean slowly began to smile at his friend, and nodded. Castiel was glad his bland declaration was understood as he turned back to the calming water before him. He let himself feel content, allowed the storm clouds in his mind and body to float away. He let out a relieved sigh as Dean walked over next to him, looking at his face which looked as relaxed as it had when he had been sleeping. Dean waited, knowing the next move was on Castiel and that if he decided not to make one, he’d be okay with it.

But as the stillness began to settle on Castiel, he began to feel his body tense again. A thunderstorm suddenly lighted his head out of nowhere as he began to realise how little he knew about relationships, and nervousness at what to do next. Uncertainty swelled in his stomach and anxiety ripped through him. He clawed at the wall as his fingers curled into fists and his elbows locked. He gritted his teeth and cursed at himself for not enjoying the sweet feel of nothing in his mind for the brief moment it last.

Something warm and soft covered his hand and he realised Dean was looking at him, his hand on his.

“You okay, buddy?” He asked, his voice riddled with intent and worry. Castiel let out a deep breath that had been held for far too long and relaxed his joints. “I know you’ve never done this before,” Dean said reassuringly, his voice calmer now that Castiel wasn’t so tense, “And it’s _okay_.”

Dean’s simple statement instantly calmed the tumulus typhoon in his stomach and mind, and he focused on breathing calmly and regularly.

“Thank you Dean, I’ve learnt a lot from you this night.” Castiel looked to Dean who was half-smiling at him with admiration. Castiel studied Dean’s face in more detail than he had before, now that proximity wasn’t an issue. He scanned his light, premature stubble, the sharp curve of his jaw bone, the dip from his cheekbones to his deep, green eyes down the bridge of his nose and finally to his accented lips and paused. It occurred to Castiel he was allowed to do more than just _look_ at the Winchester’s handsome features. Uncertainly, he brought a hand up to the back of his head and frowned curiously at Dean’s eyes that seemed to also be assessing his features. When Dean made eye contact with him, Castiel’s flicked back down to his lips and gently pulled his head forward. Dean didn’t hesitate in aiming for Castiel’s own pink lips. It was an odd, light kiss that was meant to be entirely experimental for Castiel, but as soon as Dean began to break away, Castiel pulled him back towards him, focusing on the feel of Dean’s mouth pressed against his and shattering any sort of barrier built between them. Dean responded immediately, wrapping an arm around Castiel’s back to bring him closer to him, twisting his spare fingers through his dark hair. He pulled Castiel’s head closer, concentrating on deepening the kiss. Castiel groaned into Dean’s mouth, greedily pushing back, any thoughts of uncertainty far from his mind as the closeness he could feel with Dean began to be all that mattered.

Dean gradually pulled away, resting his forehead on Castiel’s. They were both panting subtly from their pent up passion.

“We should probably be getting back.” He reminded Castiel, appreciating how much more intense and affecting his eyes were up close. Castiel straightened up off Dean and nodded.

“You’re right,” He agreed, his arm sliding off Dean as they began to walk the way they’d come.

“I’m taking a rain-check on that though…” Dean commented, grinning to himself. Castiel tentatively reached out for Dean’s hand and was quickly rewarded, passing under a shadow of a nearby tree. Dean wasn’t perturbed by the dark and alien of the town as they returned to Castiel’s home; his thoughts was sincere and content, focusing on the warmth of the hand enclosed in his.

 

“Where the hell have you two _been_?!” Gabriel shrieked as the pair walked through the door, shrugging off their jackets down the hallway.

“Walking.” Castiel offered shortly, hanging his jacket over a chair.

“We’ve had dessert ready for ages.” Anna claimed, pulling a homemade apple pie out of the oven. Dean’s face lit up with a huge grin.

“Sammy,” He said as his brother joined the conglomeration in the kitchen, “This is the best damn town we’ve ever been to.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for reading! I really appreciate it. Any form of feedback is much appreciated so don't hesitate to leave a comment! x

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Open Your Eyes](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1152469) by [BowtiesAreCool4](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BowtiesAreCool4/pseuds/BowtiesAreCool4)




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